A New Place to Find Help

VOX’s Teen Resource Guide Puts Vital Info Within Easy Reach

By Shandrea Hardeman / VOX Staff

Sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. Depression and anxiety. Alcohol and drug abuse. These are just a few of the many issues that affect teens today, but there aren’t many resources specifically geared to provide us teens with the information we need or the names of centers or clinics where we can get help.

Almost this time last year, a group of teens at VOX decided that we wanted to help our friends and peers in Atlanta deal with a variety of personal issues. We felt that the root of these problems was the lack of easily accessible and accurate information. After an intense brainstorming session, we decided to create a reliable resource for area teens to find everything from FAQs about drug abuse to listings of local agencies geared to help them choose the right forms of birth control.

We knew that this guide should be always there when teens needed it, as well as updated continuously. Because of these factors, we decided that the information should be accessible online, so we created Atlanta’s only Web-based resource guide by teens, for teens — and we’ve just launched it at www.TeenResourceATL.org.

The new site is a mixture of articles and directory style listings of service providers that cover the topics of sex and drugs. We’re just starting to add mental health, and in the future, we hope the guide will tackle even more subjects that are really important to teens.

The service providers listed on the Resource Guide site include crisis hotlines, clinics, educational programs and institutions that serve Atlanta-area teens. Even more important, we at VOX have called each and every one of these providers to see if they are teen-friendly. The providers get a special designation if they: are easily accessible, have low or no fees, are open after school and/or on weekends, offer services confidentially to protect privacy and are welcoming to teens.

With each listing, the Resource Guide also provides basic contact information, including phone numbers and addresses, as well as the specific services each agency provides. We’ve made it easy for you to find the closest and most relevant agency. All you have to do is click “Start Your Search” and you’ll be directed toward a page where can select the general topic that you’re interested in, as well as the counties that are convenient for you, and the search engine will pull up a list of service providers that can help you.

The articles and fact sheets — which you can find by clicking on the “Get The 411” button — on the Resource Guide were all researched and written by VOX teen staff members. They range from debunking myths about sexually transmitted diseases to providing a guide on how to avoid online predators to offering eye-opening statistics on teen pregnancy. Each “411” page, sorted by topic, provides up-to-date, easy-to-understand information.

Check out our Teen Resource Guide, at www.TeenResourceATL.org, whenever you need help. If you don’t find exactly what you are looking for, you can e-mail us and we’ll work to help you find the information or resources you need.

This is only the beginning of the resources we want to provide to you, and we hope in the coming months that the Resource Guide will continue to grow exponentially. We will continue to add more stories and information. Eventually the Web site will also include articles on the topics of drug abuse, sex and mental illness that have been published in VOX over the years, as well as a message board where you can share your own experiences in trying to get help.

Shandrea is VOX’s Community Action intern and a junior at Grady High School.